Garment



y 9 ca. A. FLETCHER 2,119,227

GARMENT Filed Aug. 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M II III ll mlwi ' May 31,1938. s45. FLETCHER GARMENT Filed Aug. 20', 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 we a 1% My nm N. 65 3 v 0 11 W AG A GEORGE Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE GARMENT Application August 20, 1936, SerialNoi 97,018"

4 Claims.

This invention relates'to new and useful improvements in garments of the character commonly known to the trade as corsets, girdles, or foundation garments, usually worn for the purpose of supporting and shaping portions of the body of the wearer, and which may also serve to provide means for supporting other wearing apparel such as the stockings.

An important object of the present invention resides in the provision in such a garment of means for anchoring the garment to the figure, whereby it is not likely to relatively change its position thereon, regardless of posture and body movements.

A further object is to provide a garment of the form fitting type, made from an elastic yarn, such as the well-known Lastex, whereby the garment is capable of stretching both vertically and horizontally, and said garment having a panel fitted in the front portion thereof adapted to overlie the diaphragm and stomach and maintain said body portions substantially flat, regardless of the posture of the wearer, and which panel has its upper portions extending partially around the waist line and having stiffening bones suitably supported therein and adapted to fit against the body rearwardly of and over the hips, thereby to anchor the garment to the wearer's body to prevent it from relatively shifting its position thereon.

A further object is to provide a garment of the character described, having a body portion adapted to embrace the body of the wearer above the hips, and extending below and above the plane of maximum girth, taken through the posterior portions of the wearers body, and which garment is capable of stretching vertically at substantially all points in its girth excepting that portion which overlies the diaphragm and V stomach, which latter portion is capable of tially around the Waist line and terminating atpoints rearwardly of the sides and above the hip portions of the garment, and said panel having a, plurality ofstifiening bones therein, certain of whiclr'overlie the diaphragm and stomach, to

provide a support therefor andprevent the same from protruding or bulging, and" others of saidbones being relatively shorter and being embodied in the construction of the upper rear portions of said panel, whereby-they provide anchors for retaining the'garment in proper position upon the body; regardless of posture or body movements;

Other objects reside in the unique arrangement of the bones. at the. front. and side portionsof the garment, and in the simple and inexpensive construction thereof, whereby the garment may be manufactured substantially as cheaply as conventional garments of this. generalcharacten Other objects of the invention will appearfrom the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed" claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has. been disclosed. a structure. designed; to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined" to the exact features shown as various. changes may be made within the scope of'the claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View showingmy improved garment on a figure;

Figure 2. is a perspective view showing the rear portion of the garment in. the position worn onthe figure;v

Figure 3 is a front View of the. garment only showing the outline of the panel. embodied in. the construction of the garment;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view onthe line 4--4- of Figure 6,. showing thepreferred arrangementof. thepanel and the reinforcing. bones supported therein;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line- 55 of Figure 4,.showing. the upper side. portions. of the panel extending rearwardly of the axis. of the garment body; and

Figurev 6 is a sectional. plan View substantially on; the line 6-6- of Figure 4, showing the preferred arrangement of the reinforcing bonesprozvided at the upper portion of the garment. V

The novel garment herein disclosed is. shown. comprising a form fitting body portion, generally, indicated by the numeral. 2, preferably knit. of. an elastic yarn such as Lastex, whereby it is. capable of stretching both horizontally and vertically. A suitable panel, generally indicatedby the numeral 3, is shown fitted to the interior of the front wall of the garment and is secured thereto by rowsof' suitable stitching" l -4, which preferably" is of a' zig-zag character to permit the required stretching of the seams 4-4 longitudinally. It is to be understood, of course, that any suitable stitching may be employed, which will permit the garment to stretch in the region of its seams.

The panel 3 is preferably shaped as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and has its lowermost portion 5 secured to the lower central portion of the garment by the stitches 44, and preferably the stitches securing the usual binding 6 to the lower edge of the garment. The side edges of the panel 3 curve upwardly, outwardly and rearwardly, over the hips, as clearly illustrated in the drawings, whereby the panel is substantially triangularly shaped, Thus by referring to Figure 5, it will be noted that the upper corner portions 1 of the panel extend partially around the sides of the body and terminate rearwardly of the axis a-a of the body of the garment, as best shown in Figure 5. The upper edge of the panel 3 is suitably secured to the upper edge of the garment by the usual stitching, not shown, securing the usual elastic binding 8 to the upper edge of the garment.

The panel 3 is preferably made of woven cloth having elastic weft and non-elastic warp strands, whereby the panel is capable of stretching crosswise or horizontally of the body of the wearer, but not vertically or up and down. Other types of woven fabric may also be employed, provided it is stretchable in a horizontal direction only.

with the center bone III to stiffen the panel portion of the garment which, as hereinbefore stated, overlies the diaphragm and stomach, and thus provides a support therefor, whereby said body portions are maintained in substantially flat condition. The bones I0, I3, and I4 vary in length, as best shown in Figure 4.

Additional bones I6 are supported in pockets I'I secured to the upper rearmost portions of the panel, and are located rearwardly of the centerline a--a of the garment, as best shown in Figure 5, whereby they are located rearwardly of and above the hip portions of the body, and thereby cooperate with the adjacent side bones I4 to securely anchor the garment to the wearers body, and whereby the front bones III and I3 will have a flattening action on the body without producing folds or wrinkles. The bones I4 are relatively shorter than the bones I3, and are shown disposed at a slightly greater angle. In like manher, the rear side bones I6 are preferably shorter than the bones I4, as best shown in Figure 5. The bones may be incorporated into the garment without fastening devices by merely inserting them in the pockets illustrated in the drawings. The pockets may be constructed in any suitable manner as, for example, by securing suitable stripping material to the panel in the usual manner.

Additional bones I8 are shown supported in pockets I9 secured directly to the body of the garment, rearwardly of the side bones I6 secured to the end portions I of the panel 3. The bones I8 are spaced inwardly from the bones I6 in a direction towards the center of the back of the garment, as best illustrated in Figure 6, and are preferably angularly disposed with respect to the vertical, in a manner similar to the bones I4 and I6. By thus angularly arranging the bones I4, I6, and I8, as above described, they cooperate to firmly grip the wearers body over the hips, as will be clearly understood by reference to Figure 2, whereby the garment is not likely to relatively change its position upon the body, regardless of posture and body movements.

The bones preferably lie lengthwise of the garment and at a slight angle from the vertical, as hereinbefore stated, and are preferably loosely supported in the pockets. In place of a single bone in each pocket, as shown in the drawings, two or more bones may be placed side by side in a single pocket with a suitable division between them to retain them in proper position. The bones may also be varied in length from that shown in the drawings. The upper ends of the bones, however, are substantially horizontally alined, or are disposed adjacent to the upper binding 8, as clearly illustratedin the drawings.

A garment constructed as herein disclosed, is capable of stretching up and down at all points in its girth except in that portion covered by the panel 3, which, as previously stated, is not adapted for vertical stretching. It may also stretch horizontally at all points but that portion covered by the panel 3 may be more or less limited to horizontal stretch, depending upon the stretchability of the panel in a horizontal direction.

In the drawings, particularly Figures 4, 5, and 6, I have shown the bone pockets 9, II, I2, and

II, as being formed from stripping material stitched to the inner surface of the panel 3. However, if desired, these bone pockets may be secured directly to the outer material or the fabric from which the body 2 of the garment is made without departing from the scope of the invention. The arrangement and number of bones may also be varied and in some cases, certain of the bones may be omitted, if desired.

In the drawings, I have illustrated the garment as being of the type commonly known as a stepin, having no opening around its girth. It is to be understood, however, that if desired, an opening of any suitable length may be provided in the garment, extending only part way down from the top thereof, or, if desired, the opening may extend the full length of the garment. When such an opening is provided in the garment, suitable means must, of course, be provided for closing the opening, when the garment is worn, as it is to be understood that the garment must snugly fit the body to serve its purpose. In the drawings, I have shown the garment made from what is commonly known as a tube or circular knit fabric, but it is to be understood that it may be made from other types of knit fabrics such, for example, as fiat material, in which case, its edges may be joined together by zig-zag stitching or some other suitable connecting means which is capable of stretching vertically. The garment is shown provided with the usual garter devices ZI, secured to the lower edge or binding 6 thereof and which are adapted to be attached to the upper portions of the stockings in the usual manner, as shown in Figure 1.

The novel garment, herein disclosed, has been found vvery practical in use, and is very comfortable to the wearer. By extending the upper side portions 'I-'I of the panel 3 around and over the hip portions of the body, as clearly illustrated in Figures Z'and 5, and further by the provision of the relatively short bones l8, which are disposed in the small of the back, as best illustrated in Figure 2, the garment is firmly anchored to the intermediate portion of the body whereby it cannot readily shift its position thereon, regardless of posture or body movements.

I have found that, for best results, the rear end of the side portions 'l of the panel should begin preferably at points about two inches back of the centerline of the hips, or the line a--a, shown in Figure 5, on both sides of the garment. The lower edges of the side portions 'l---'! of the panel should be in the form of convex curves, extending over the hips approximately to where the groins begin and at these points the curves should preferably reverse to concave shape, thereby to provide the narrow front portion 5, which preferably is about one and one-half inches wide at the bottom center of the garment. A panel so shaped has been found to exercise the proper pressure and control of the flattening action of the panel on the diaphragm and stomach. Also by arranging the relatively short bones I6 at the upper end portions of the panel at a slight angle to the vertical, as best shown in Figure 5, said bones form sufficient anchorage to the body beyond the points of the hips, to firmly secure the garment in position upon the body, and at the same time, effecting the greatest possible control and flattening action of the panel upon the stemach and diaphragm.

The panel 3 should preferably be made of a material comprising elastic weft strands and nonclastic warp strands, whereby the panel will stretch in a horizontal direction only, and not up and down, or vertically. For best results, the panel should be so constructed that it will stretch only approximately fifty to sixty percent of the maximum stretch of the material from which the body of the garment is made. By thus limiting the stretchability of the panel with respect to the stretchability of the body of the garment, a more positive control of the shaping of that portion of the body covered by the panel, is obtained.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a garment of the class described, a body portion of a suitable material capable of yielding to outward pressure, a panel secured to the front of the garment and overlying the diaphragm and stomach of the wearer and having its upper side portions extending partially around the waist and terminating rearwardly of the centerline of the hips, said panel being capable of stretching in one direction, stiffening bones fitted in the front of the panel and acting to maintain the stomach substantially flat, and other relatively shorter bones secured to the upper rearmost portions of said panel and fitting against the hips at the front and rear of the median plane thereof, thereby to anchor the garment to the body to prevent it from relatively shifting thereon.

2. A foundation garment comprising a front section overlying the abdominal region of the body, said section extending upwardly from the lower central portion of the garment with its side edges flaring outwardly, and the upper side portions of said section passing around the sides of the body and terminating rearwardly of the median plane of the garment, and bones secured in the upper side portions of said front section rearwardly of the median plane of the garment and arranged to fit against the body of the wearer at opposite sides thereof and rearwardly of the hips, thereby to anchor the garment to the body of the wearer to prevent it from relatively shifting its position thereon.

3. A foundation garment comprising a front section overlying the abdominal region of the body, said section extending upwardly from the lower central portion of the garment with its side edges flaring outwardly, the upper side portions of said section passing around the sides of the body and terminating rearwardly of the median plane of the garment, bones secured in the upper side portions of said front section rearwardly of the median plane of the garment and arranged to fit against the body of the wearer at opposite sides thereof and rearwardly of the hips, and other bones secured in the side portions of said section forwardly of the hips and cooperating with said rearwardly disposed bones to anchor the garment to the body of the wearer over the hips.

4. A foundation garment comprising a front section overlying the abdominal region of the body, said section extending upwardly from the lower central portion of the garment with its side edges flaring outwardly, the upper side portions of said section passing around the sides of the body at an elevation above the hips and terminating rearwardly of the median plane of the garment, relatively short bones secured in the upper side portions of the garment rearwardly of the median plane thereof and fitting against the body of the wearer at opposite sides thereof rearwardly of and adjacent to the hips, and other bones secured in the side portions of said section forwardly of the hips and cooperating with said rearwardly disposed bones to anchor the garment to the body of the wearer over the hips, said bones being disposed at an angle to the vertical with their lower ends directed forwardly.

GEORGE A. FLETCHER. 

